With 2019 coming to an end, it’s crazy to believe how much has happened to me. I left the country on my own, I discovered a passion I didn’t know I had and I experienced a few losses, some good and some bad.
Overall I can say that 2019 was a year of patience, learning and growing up in general.
At the end of 2018, my mom and stepdad announced they were finally getting a divorce. Most people assumed that this wouldn’t affect me since it was the second divorce I had gone through, but honestly this one hit me hard.
My stepdad and I have always been close, and not seeing him when I came home for holidays would be weird.
If I thought juggling two parents during the holidays was difficult, three is insane. This is something I hope to never put my future children through, but you never know what will happen.
In March, my family welcomed home my new cousin, Valencia. I have always loved babies, but wow I love this baby.
Have you ever looked at something and saw only good things? That’s how I feel when I look my baby cousin.
In a way I know she’s going to live an amazing life, and I can’t wait to watch her grow. She just turned 9 months and it’s insane to think how fast her life is already going.
Mid-June I traveled to Canada for my aunt and uncle’s wedding. When I look at Erica and Nick, I know they have found true love, something I wish to have one day. They have been through so much as a couple and individuals, but always find their way back to one another.
Late July my little sister, Isabella, turned 10, which is the age I turned when she was born. It’s crazy to think that in 10 years, this child who was once a dream of mine is now a human being who is crazy, loud and so beautiful.
There is nothing I look forward to more than growing old with my sister. She is one of my best friends, and I hope we always remain as close as we are. However, I hope she stops calling me “Swissy.” I wish I knew why, but then again she is 10.
On Aug. 12, I turned 20, which is ironic because I still feel 10 at times. I wasn’t a teenager anymore, and that didn’t settle in for a long time. It’s crazy to think I’ve lived two decades.
This school year I moved out on my own, and this has honestly been my favorite thing ever. Growing up I hated being home alone and often feared having to one day live alone. Ironically, living on my own, even though I have roommates, has taught me that this is the last thing I will have to fear.
On Thanksgiving, we mourned the first year since my grandma passed from Alzheimer’s. There are days I forget she passed, and those are the easier days. Other days I remember and I’m sad, but I know she wants me to be happy.
For Christmas break this year, we are going to the Bahamas. My grandma always dreamed of traveling, but never got the chance to.
My biggest hope for my future is to continue this streak I have started of living in the moment and not taking for granted these experiences that have shaped me.

OLIVIA HAHNER
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